We All Hold Unconscious Bias

This article highlights research about how women are perceived at work.  It shows that we all hold unconscious bias about the gender of who is speaking.  (We don’t even know we’re doing it.!)  The key with these biases is to become aware of them, to then notice when we are having (and acting on) our bias, and then to counteract that bias.  For example, perhaps you can have employees share their ideas in writing rather than by speaking up at meetings.  Maybe suggestions should be considered against a rubric, which helps us to be more objective, rather than by gut-feeling.

How else can you infuse your organization with awareness of unconscious bias and how to counteract it?  What can you do to ensure you’re hearing the best ideas (and listening to them)?* 

percent higher ratings of competence. When female executives spoke more than their peers, both men and women punished them with 14 percent lower ratings.”

“When male employees contributed ideas that brought in new revenue, they got significantly higher performance evaluations. But female employees who spoke up with equally valuable ideas did not improve their managers’ perception of their performance. Also, the more the men spoke up, the more helpful their managers believed them to be. But when women spoke up more, there was no increase in their perceived helpfulness.”

“Even when all team members were informed that one member possessed unique information that would benefit the group, suggestions from women with inside knowledge were discounted.”

“Obviously, businesses need to find ways to interrupt this gender bias. Just as orchestras that use blind auditions increase the number of women who are selected, organizations can increase women’s contributions by adopting practices that focus less on the speaker and more on the idea.”

LEARN MORE

Learn more about how to talk about bias without making it worse here.